Pressure applicator for plastic bindings of hard cased books



1951 F. J. CASHIN ET AL PRESSURE APPLICATOR FOR PLASTIC BINDINGS OF HARD CASED BOOKS Filed Oct. 18, 1949 INVENTORS JFanifltasfiin BY flan/4rd ll? 294 IITTORNE) Patented Oct. 23, i 1951 PRESSURE APPLICATOR FOR PLASTIC BINDINGS OF HARD CASED BOOKS Frank J. Cashin, Hempstead, N. Y., and Howard W. Wolf, Hanover, Pa., assignors, by mesne assignments, to The DcFlorez Company, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application October 18, 1949, Serial No. 122,026

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the adhesive binding of books and more particularly to a new and improved method of and apparatus for preparing the binding surface to receive an adhesive binding.

In the preparation of a page block, consisting of a plurality of loosely assembled signatures, to receive an adhesive binding, the block is securely held by a clamp with its binding edge exposed and conveyed over a cutting means and the folds are cut from the binding edge to expose each of the leaves of the page block, and thereafter an adhesive coating is applied to the surface of the edge; A- suitable method of effecting these operations is described and claimed in the oo-pending application of Luis deFlorez, Peter deFlorez and Owen L. Gore, Serial No. 24,494, filed May 1, 1948.

When the folds have been removed from the binding edge, by any suitable cutting means such as a rotary knife in combination with sanders or a'band saw in combination with sanders or sanders alone, the leaves of the page block extending beyond the clamp tend to flare out, the folds no longer acting to restrain them. With the leaves in a flared condition causing a rounder configuration of the binding edge, it is difficult to apply adhesive coating of equal thickness to the entire binding edge of the page block. Therefore, one important object of this invention is to provide a method of and apparatus for constituting the trimmed binding edge as a plane surface so that the adhesive binding may be more effectively applied, in a coating which has substantially the same thickness throughout. Other objects and advantages arising from the use of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the description of the method and apparatus of this invention.

To effect the objects of the invention a pair of stationary parallel ironing bars are positioned, one on each side of the path of travel of the trimmed binding edge, and arranged to engage and compress the leaves of the binding edge under relatively high or heavy pressure into a plane surface suitable to receive the adhesive coating.

For a more detailed description reference is made to the drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of an adhesive binding operation showing I the position with respect thereto of one form of apparatus of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the apparatus, as viewed from the line 2--2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus; and

Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the page block in the passed in single file along the established path.v

Each page block III is supported in a vertical position with its binding edge I2 down and with a portion I3 of the page block Ill adjacent to the biding edge extending below the clamp plates II.

The page block I0, securely held by the clamps I I, is advanced into engagement with a fold trimming station, which consists of a suitable means for cutting the folds from the binding edge I2. In Fig. 1 the fold trimming station comprises a band saw I4 arranged to move transversely to path of page block and to cutthe folds from the binding edge I2 as the page block I0 is advanced along the path into engagement with and through the band saw. Thereafter, the page block I0 is moved over an abrading surface I5 to effecta smoothing of binding edge I2.

After the folds are removed from the binding edge I2 by the band saw I4, the pages of the book block H3, in the portion I3 extending below. the clamp plates II, assume a rounded and flared configuration similar to-that shown in Fig. 4. The flaring results probably from the release of the restraint of the signature folds.

As the binding edge I2 is smoothed by an abrading means such as sanding belt I5, the normal plane of the sanding belt will be as indicated-by the dash line I6 in Fig. 4. It will be noted from the plane I6 of the sanding belt that a portion of the curved binding edge I2 will be removed and the surface partially levelled. 1

The page block I0, thereafter, is passed over the rotating brush I! which removes loose particles of paper fiber and abrasive grit from the surface of the binding edge I2. 1

In order to achieve the desired plane surface of the binding edge, before the adhesive coating is applied thereto, the page block I0 is next conveyed between the pressing bars I8 which en-' as shown in Fig. 2.

- page block II] are gathered together by the outwardly curved ends I9 of the bars I8 asthe page the portion 13 of the page block If) as the latter is conveyed between the bars. The shafts 20px"- tend through the studs 2| to the outboard side and are threaded in bolts or stop nuts 24 so that the bars l8 may be adjusted toward and away from page blocks by adjusting the bolts. The page block engaging faces 25 of the bars iB'are vertical and parallel and have a sufiicient vertical extent to engage substantially the whole portion I3 of page block iii-which extends beyond the clamp plates H, as shown in Fig. 2. faces 25 also extend a distance below the binding edge [2 to insure that the latter is effectively compressed.

After the page block In is conveyed through the bars IE it is advanced to a suitable adhesive applying station. One satisfactory means of applying the adhesive is that described and claimed in the co-pending application of Peter de Florez, Serial No. 770,726, filed August 26, 1947, wherein the binding edge is passedover a pair of adhesive applying rollers, such as 21 and 28. Roller 2'! forces a thin layer of adhesive against the ends of leaves at the binding edge 12 and roller 28, together with stationary bar 253, applies a thick layer of latex over the surface of the binding edge. Thereafter, doctor blade 38 removes the excess adhesive and allows a layer or coating of adhesive of the desired thickness to remain. The rollers 2'! and 28 are positioned so that they are partially immersed in a bath of adhesive contained in reservoir 26.

When an adhesive binding operation is carried out without pressing the binding edge l2 prior to the application of adhesive, the doctor blade 39, in order to leave a coating of desired thickness at the center (3| in Fig. 4.) of the flared binding edge will allow a-coating of substantially greater thickness on the binding edge near the sides 32. As an example, in treating the binding edge without pressure, a normal setting of the doctor blade 30, to allow a coating of adhesive .008" thick (wet) in the center section 31, will result in leaving a coating of .016" to .015" thick (wet) in the side sections 32. The excess adhesive in the side sections 32 increases the total drying time and also is a waste of the adhesive.

When the pressure apparatus of this invention is used, the binding edge is constituted as a plane surface and the adhesive coating which is applied by the rollers 21, 28 and the cooperating bar 29 can be doctored to a uniform thickness over the entire surface of the binding edge within the exacting limits required for efiicient drying, so that no boiling or bubbling occurs in the adhesive coating.

As noted above the binding edge l2 may be partially levelled and the rounded effect of the flaring leaves somewhat corrected by the sanding belt l which reduces the crown of the cen-- ter portion 3! of the binding edge, as shown in Fig. 4. However, it has been found that rai ing the cuttingor abrading plane of the sanding belt Springs 23:

The-

15, in an attempt to effect a planar cut surface, increases the pressure between the sanding belt l5 and the page block l0 and causes further flaring of the pages near the sides 32 and an uneven surface after sanding.

It is considered undesirable to extend the pressing bars l3 through the adhesive applying station because of the tendency of the adhesive to cake on the bars and interfere with the application of uniform coatings of adhesive to the page blocks. However, it has been found that by employing the pressing bars l8 and. placing them adjacent to and immediately before the adhesive applying station, a sufficient compressive force can be exerted on the page block so that the leaves remain in a cohesive condition, the ends of the leaves constituting a binding edge which is a plane surface.

It is to be understood that certain parts of the description herein have been included to show the manner in which apparatus and method of this invention may be used in cooperation with other apparatus. Also, it should be noted that the description is set down to explain the princi ple of the invention and the best mode in which the applicants have contemplated applying the principle of the invention, but that the invention is not limited to the specific mode and apparatus herein described.

We claim:

1. In the manufacture of adhesive bound booksv that method of preparing a page block of folded leaves, to receive the adhesive binding, comprising, trimming the folds from the binding edge,

abrading the trimmed surface, brushing the surface clean, applying high pressure to the sides of the page block at the binding edge by passing the page block into slidingengagement with'compressive members, disposedat either side of the page block adjacent the binding edge, and thereafter applying adhesive to the compressed binding edge.

2. In an apparatus for manufacturing adhesively bound books wherein page blocksconsisting of loosely assembled signatures are securely clamped so as to expose-the folds of the signatures at the binding edge and the portion of the:

page blocks adjacent to said edge and wherein the securely held page blocks are conveyed suc-'-- cessively along a predetermined path into engagement with a cutter, to trim the folds from the binding edge, and an abrader to smooth the surface of the binding edge, an auxiliary clamp' adapted to compress the leaves of thepage block at the binding edge, comprising, a pair of parallel,

horizontal, compressing bars, one positioned onedge, springs associated'with said bars adapted to urge said bars together to exert heavy pressure against the sides of the page block at the binding edge.

3. In the manufacture of books, an apparatus for applying an adhesive coating to the binding.

edges of page blocks which-are successively conveyed along a predetermined.pathv in a vertical.

endwise array with their binding edges exposed,

said apparatushaving several work stations se quentially positioned along the path of the'page blocks, including a trimming means to trim the folds from the binding edge and smooth the trimmed edge, andan adhesive applying means:

to apply. alayer of adhesive to the trimmed edge.

a compressing means positioned between the trimming means and the adhesive applying means and adjacent to said adhesive applying means, said compressing means comprising a pair of parallel horizd'ntal bars having vertical p'a-ge block engaging faces to engage the sides 'of 'tlie.

page block adjacent to the binding edge, said faces extending along said path fora distance at least equal ftof'ithe length of the binding ed epf the page blocks, one of said bars being positioned on each side or the said path, springs associated with said bars to urge them together and adjustable stop nuts to limit the movement of each bar toward the path.

4. In themanuiacture oi adhesive bound books that method of preparing a page block from folded leaves, to receive the adhesive bindifig, comprising," trimming the folds from the binding edge, abradin' g the trimmed surface, brushing the surface clean, applying heavy compressive force to the sides or the page block at the binding edge by passing the page block into sliding engagement with compressive members,- disposed at either side of the page block adjacent the binding edge to cohe'sively join the ends of the leaves in the trimmed surface to constitute a plane binding edge, and immediately thereafter applying adhesive to the compressed binding edge.

FRANK J. CASHIN.

HOWARD W. WOLF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

